NBN Alternatives: What to Do When You Can’t Connect (Case Study Included)

It’s funny, the way we talk about the internet in Australia. Everyone assumes you’ve got NBN. “What plan are you on?” they ask, not even if.

Plenty of homes and businesses can’t connect. If you’re too far from the exchange, sitting in a valley, or just unlucky in the rollout, the NBN truck isn’t pulling into your driveway! – simple as that!

You still need internet. And in 2025, the options have grown: 5G, 4G, Starlink.

And I’ll share a real case from Eltham, VIC, where one of our clients tried them all and finally found a working solution.

When NBN Isn’t an Option

First, let’s get this straight: not every property is serviceable by NBN.

It happens more than you’d think. Outer suburbs, semi-rural areas, pockets just outside the fibre footprint.

You might get promised “fixed wireless” but end up with a signal that can’t even load Gmail.

The danger is assuming you’re stuck. You’re not. Alternatives exist.

Option 1: 5G Internet

5G is the current crown jewel of mobile networks (at the time of writing this article)

It’s basically mobile internet, offering up to gigabit speeds if you’re in range. Carriers package it into home internet deals with unlimited data and dedicated modems.

Pros

• Speed. In good coverage areas, you’ll see 300–600 Mbps regularly, sometimes higher.

• Low latency. Great for gaming and video calls.

Cons

• Coverage. Step a few kilometres outside the 5G footprint and you’re back on 4G.

• Congestion. Speeds drop at peak times, especially in dense suburbs.

• Hardware limits. Old routers can’t handle the throughput.

Best For

Urban and inner suburban homes where 5G towers are plentiful. Small businesses in coverage zones.

Option 2: 4G Internet

4G has been around for a decade, and it covers more ground than 5G. Speeds are slower— our experience finds 20–80 Mbps—but for basic use it still works.

Pros

• Wide coverage. Even rural areas usually get some 4G signal.

• Simple setup. Any 4G modem or even a phone hotspot can get you online.

• Cheaper hardware.

Cons

• Speed. Sluggish compared to 5G or NBN. Streaming works, but multiple users will notice bottlenecks.

• Congestion. Same as 5G, worse in some regions.

• Upload pain. Often limited to 5–20 Mbps. Cloud backups crawl.

Best For

Fallback option if nothing else works.

Solo users, small households, or single man businesses or businesses that don’t move huge amounts of data.

Option 3: Starlink

SpaceX’s low-earth orbit satellite service – thousands of satellites orbiting overhead, beaming broadband to a dish on your roof. It bypasses towers, trenches, exchanges—all of it.

Pros

• Coverage. If you’ve got clear sky, you can get Starlink. Doesn’t matter how rural you are.

• Speed. 100–250 Mbps down, 20–40 Mbps up in most of Australia.

• Consistency. It doesn’t drop the way mobile networks do.

Cons

• Cost. The hardware isn’t cheap. Expect $600–$700 upfront plus $99/month ongoing.

• Line of sight. Trees, hills, obstructions cause dropouts. Needs a clean view of the sky.

• Latency. Lower than old satellite (under 50ms) but still higher than fibre or 5G.

Best For

Semi-rural or rural users. Anyone outside reliable 5G zones. Properties where NBN can’t or won’t reach.

Case Study: Eltham, VIC – Too Far for NBN, Out of Reach for 5G

We got a call from a client in Eltham, just on the outer rim of Melbourne. Lovely property—big block, trees everywhere, hills rolling around the valley. Perfect for quiet living. Terrible for internet.

The Situation

• NBN? Not possible. Property too far from the nearest exchange. “Fixed wireless” was promised but the tower signal died in the valley.

• 5G? Checked the coverage map. The circle stopped a few streets away. Inside the house, no 5G bars.

• 4G? Technically there, but speeds were barely scraping 8 Mbps down / 1 Mbps up which was fine for “just”emails.

The client needed internet for remote work. Video calls. File transfers. Kids streaming. Those spends just wasn’t cutting it.

The Decision

That’s when we recommended Starlink.

Not the cheapest choice, but it was the only one that made sense. With a clear roofline, the dish would see open sky. And with Starlink’s current constellation, Eltham sits comfortably in coverage.

The Setup

We:

• Installed the Starlink dish on a pole mount above tree height.

• Ran cabling down into the client’s office.

• Integrated it into a Wi-Fi mesh system (three nodes, tri-band Wi-Fi 6) so the entire house—from the upstairs bedrooms to the back patio—had strong coverage.

The Result

First speed test: 180 Mbps down, 28 Mbps up. Latency around 35ms. Rock solid.

Compared to 4G’s 8/1 Mbps, it was night and day.

• Zoom calls stopped freezing.

• Netflix streamed in 4K without buffering.

• Kids could game online without rubberbanding.

The client called it “life-changing” and were so happy!

Things People Forget

• Hardware limits speed. A 2 Gbps plan won’t matter if your router is capped at 1 Gbps.

• Mesh is essential in big houses. Otherwise your back bedrooms will feel like dial-up.

• Data usage matters. Starlink is unlimited, but some 4G/5G plans throttle after 500GB.

• Uploads are critical. If you work remotely, don’t ignore the upload column.

How Computer Technicians Can Help?

At Computer Technicians, this isn’t theory— our WiFi technicians do it every week. Clients in Eltham, Wonga Park, Mornington Peninsula, Macedon.

Properties NBN forgot, towers couldn’t reach.

We:

• Audit options (NBN, 5G, 4G, Starlink).

• Test speeds on-site.

• Install dishes, mount routers, set up cabling.

• Configure mesh Wi-Fi networks so the internet you pay for actually reaches every room.

📞 Call Us: 0484 357 559

📍 Serving Melbourne
🌐 www.computertechnicians.au

Get in Touch